Impact of a cochlear implantation on the early motor development of hearing-impaired children

Objective: The aim of the current study was to identify the influence of a Cochlear Implantation (CI) on the motor development of hearing impaired children. Methods: 48 hearing impaired infants were subdivided in a CI group (n = 23) and a control group (n = 25). All infants were assessed around the ages of 6, 12, 18 and 24 months with a test battery consisting of Peabody Developmental Motor Scales – 2 (PDMS-2), Alberta Infant Motor Scales (AIMS) (6 and 12 months), and Ghent Developmental Balance Test (GDBT)(18 and 24 months). Group differences in PDMS-2 Gross Motor Quotiënt (GMQ), PDMS-2 Fine MQ (FMQ), AIMSz- and GDBT z-score were analyzed using Linear Mixed Model (LMM) analysis for repeated measures. Results: For PDMS-2 GMQ, the LMM revealed significant effects for group (p = 0.04), test moment (p < 0.001), and for the interaction (p = 0.035) while for PDMS-2 FMQ no significant effects were shown. The LMM with AIMSz as dependent variable revealed no significant effects for group and test moment, but a trend to a significant interaction (p = 0.102). For GDBTz, the LMM pointed out significant effects for group (p = 0.013) and test moment (p < 0.001), but no significant interaction. Conclusions: This study shows that a CI has a negative impact on the early gross motor development. Implanted children show a drop in their gross motor performance between the age of 12 and 18 months with a tendency of recovery towards the age of 2 years